1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to small household appliances and, more particularly, to a curling iron. Specifically, the present invention relates to a curling iron having a barrel having an adjustable diameter allowing the curling iron to be used to create an infinite number of curl sizes between a minimum and a maximum diameter.
2. Background Information
Individuals and hairstyling professionals use a curling iron to impart a curl in one's hair that typically does not occur naturally. A curling iron imparts a curl to a strand or a plurality of strands of hair by applying heat to the hair while the hair is held in the desired position. The desired position is typically a semicircular shape that is achieved by wrapping the hair about the outer surface of a heated cylindrical barrel. The barrel is typically fabricated from metal conducts heat to the hair. A clip is also provided adjacent the barrel to hold the hair against the barrel with sufficient force to cause the hair to acquire the shape of the barrel. The clip is curved along the radius of curvature of the barrel to ensure a tight fit between the clip and the barrel.
Curling irons presently known in the art have a single barrel diameter such that only one curl size may be achieved with a single curling iron. When the individual or hair care professional desires to create curls of different sizes, a different curling iron must be used. Purchasing multiple curling irons is undesirable given the increased cost of acquiring the additional curling irons and the extra storage space required to properly store the curling irons. It is thus desired in the art to provide a curling iron that has different barrel diameters that allow different-sized curls to be formed by a single curling iron.
Some curling irons known in the art allow the user to install attachments to the barrel that have different diameters to create different curl sizes. One drawback with such attachments is that the attachments are separate from the curling iron and must be separately stored creating yet further hair care elements that must be stored in a typically crowded space. Another drawback to such attachments is that the attachments are hot after they have been used and it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to remove the attachments when they are hot so that a different sized curl may be worked on. In addition to the danger of burning one's fingers while removing the attachment, the attachment must be properly and safely stored to prevent fires. It is thus desired in the art to provide a curling iron having a barrel that is adjustable so that different sized curls may be achieved without using removable attachments.